Commercial television program content and other entertainment information is commonly distributed by coaxial or fiberoptical “cables” to residential customers. Cable programming signals are ordinarily run through a “cable box” or cable converter (viz, “set-top box”) which provides the “channel selection” capability, usually outputting the selected program signal on a lower channel such as channel 3 or else channel 4. Alternatively, the set-top box may deliver audio and video signals directly to “A/V Input” or “S-Video” input connections provided on a majority of contemporary TV-sets and monitors. Incoming cable program signals may also be inputted directly into a category of “cable ready” television sets (TV-sets) and similar equipment, albeit without benefit of the usual cable box amenities such as a capability for receiving and descrambling premium programs, pay-per-view movies, etc.
Numerous satellite systems also provide microwave wireless signals that may be picked up by an individual receiving dish antenna hooked to a customer's television set through an intermediate “satellite receiver”. Satellite television program distribution, such as DirecTV™ or EchoStar™ is widely used in less-densely populated areas and elsewhere it is directly competitive with the cable distribution systems. Satellite services may also offer “over-the-air” originated “local” or regional channel programming which was originally broadcast on a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) assigned “over-the-air” channel, typically including the network affiliated stations of ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC and PBS.
Commercial and public television programs are also directly broadcast “over-the-air” in most regions of nearly all industrialized nations. In the United States, for example, several commonly broadcast commercial networks include ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX as well as public PBS television stations. A particular program may be broadcast throughout the United States on the same network, for example “The Tonight Show” appears nightly on NBC while “Nightline” appears regularly on ABC. The NBC show is broadcast on many different channels in different cities: for example, NBC is WHDH Channel 7 in Boston, Mass. whilst it separately albeit concurrently broadcast as WJAR Channel 10 in Providence, R.I. and as WNBC in metropolitan New York City on Channel 4. Similarly, ABC programming appears as WCVB Channel 5 in Boston, Mass.; as WLNE Channel 6 in Providence, R.I. and as WABC Channel 7 in the New York city area. In other words, knowing the local channel number gives no clue as to the network and conversely, knowing the network acronym gives no clue as to the local channel number.
Remotely Controlled Channel Selection
Remote control of televisors and similar equipment is ordinarily obtained through the use of a portable and usually hand-held remote controller. Popular usage of remote controls for TV channel selection is a relatively recent phenomenon, having been first introduced in the 1950s by then Zenith Radio Corp. under the name Space Command™ but not having achieved widespread acceptance until the early 1980s.
Prior Art Offerings
Two principal types of remote controllers are currently popular. One is a dedicated “OEM” original equipment remote, generally supplied by the maker of a television set, cable box, VCR-machine or similar device. A typical OEM remote controller is exclusively programmed to work solely with a unique encoding scheme characteristic of a particular maker's equipment.
A second type of controller is an intentionally more versatile “universal remote”. Universal remotes are commonly sold as an after-market item and ordinarily capable of being re-programmed, e.g. “set-up”, by the user to select between and work with the various encoding schemes (command encryption patterns) unique to any of several different makes, models and types of entertainment devices. Most commonly, the universal class of remote controller is designed to select between and operate a “TV” set, a “VCR” machine and a “CBL” (cable box) set-top converter. Sometimes this provision includes a “SAT” (satellite receiver), a “DVD” (digital video disc) machine selection or an “audio receiver”.
Additional variations include a combination where the remote control encoding is supplied to be initially pre-programmed for a particular OEM's products, e.g., TV-set, VCR-machine, etc., but where the pre-programming may be readily overridden to adapt one or more selected device functions to cooperate with another maker's equipment.
More generally, remote controllers subject to this invention's novel teachings may generically include any category of electronic signal receptor using “channel numbers” for tuning determination. For one recent example, home theater systems may include a “television video receiver” separate from the display and sound portions of the equipment combination. Such a “component” receiver benefits from this invention's teachings just as surely as a conventional television set.
Several makers dominate the aftermarket business, most notably including Universal Electronics, Inc.; Thompson Electronics; Philips, Sanyo Corp. and Recoton Corp. Some of these and other makers furthermore market themselves under a variety of “private labels”, including Archer, Jensen, RCA, Sanyo, Zenith, Radio Shack, Magnavox, GE, Sony and so forth. Additionally, there is a burgeoning plethora of “far East” and other off-shore makers who manufacture, import and sell “universal” remote controls of all types, including “learning” remotes and field-reprogrammable remotes in many clever configurations. More notably is the finding that a majority of remote controllers sold in the American marketplace are, in fact imported from off-shore sources.
As a result the various maker's conceptual similarity, a widespread tendency prevails for a maker to “knock-off” or copy another maker's remote-controller's technical and functional design. The casual user (e.g., the end-market consumer) quickly finds that as a result of this cribbed emulation, the operational characteristics and resulting performance of most common replacement universal type remote controls is about the same and similarly limited. It is well known or quickly realized through experience that “most” remote controllers “work alike” although a great diversity in their functional details may include numbers of equipment support functions serviced, cosmetic appearance and similar details. For the most part, these mere variations in button placement and labeling tend to make convenience of operation more difficult for the neophyte user of a new piece of equipment, or a different brand or even a different model of remote controller.
Contemporaneous remote controllers may include a “memory” which is ordinarily provided to allow a user to quickly return to frequently visited channels, to jump-back to a last-visited channel or merely automatically tune a favorite channel. A multi-device remote control having memory provision and including cosmetic diversity is typified by a “Millennium™ 4” (model URC-4M made by Universal Electronics Inc., Cypress, Calif. 90630) and a similar Philips-Magnavox “Universal Remote” (model REM250, Clifton, N.J. 07014-1115) either of which is intended to work with four distinctly different remotely controlled devices: a TV-set, cable box, VCR-machine and an auxiliary device.
Another remote controller variation is a Sanyo™ model RMT-U100 which is intended to guide the operation of three devices: a TV-set, cable box and VCR-machine. Yet another more elaborate remote controller made by Universal Electronics, Inc. is represented as a “state-of-the-art remote” and promoted as the “Catalyst™ 48” model URC-4800 series that may enable a user to remotely control up to eight dissimilar devices, such as a TV-set, VCR-machine, cable box, satellite receiver, CD-player, video camera and home theater equipment such as amplifiers, tuners and other auxiliary equipment. A common thread limiting every one of these prior art remote controls, until now, is the necessity for the user to absolutely know the correct channel number for any program provider's service which the user wishes to visit. For example, if Home Box Office (HBO) is showing a movie the user must know the channel number which HBO is available on, for example “channel 60” is valid in at least one AT&T-Broadband™ service area. Without advance knowledge of the correct channel number, the viewer has no “quick and simple” way of gaining HBO access aside from happen-chance surfing through dozens if not hundreds of available channels.
Program Provider Acronym and Channel Number
For purpose of this immediate discussion a program provider's acronym is generally the initials of a program network or service, such as ABC for American Broadcasting Company, NBC for National Broadcasting Company; TLC for The Learning Channel; and CNN for Cable Network News. In the ordinary usage of the cable box or TV-set, a viewer in a particular Eastern Massachusetts region serviced by AT&T-Broadband™ ordinarily tunes to channel 5 for ABC, channel 38 for TLC and channel 42 for CNN. Obviously this assumes (or requires) that the viewer “knows” CNN is channel 42, for example.
To find what acronymic provider matches with a channel number, viewers ordinarily must resort to various conversion charts, newspaper listings and publications such as the TV-Guide™ magazine. These are complicated, time-wasting and expensive solutions, considering that TV-Guide™ magazine presently costs about two dollars a week.
Conversion charts may be (and usually are) provided by cable companies as a supplement to their service. These charts and other publications such as newspaper inserts are confusingly difficult to read. Furthermore, the listings often given in widely distributed publications (such as newspaper inserts, TV-Guide™ magazine, etc.) are generalized to service a wide area and therefore may merely show the provider's acronym such as “HBO”, but not necessarily the local TV station channel number which may be “channel 60” in one area and “channel something else” in another even nearby area. It is well known that aside from HBO, many other cable-exclusive programs such as provided by the DiSney channel, the HISTory channel and others have unique or virtual channel numbers assigned differently in different areas by their cable system providers, such as AT&T Broadband™, Adelphia™, Cablevision™, MediaOne™, TimeWarner™, TCI™ and so forth. For example, in the metropolitan New York City area there are about 27 different cable purveyors, each with their own proprietary arrangement of channel assignments.
Confusing Usage of Network Acronyms
A common thread running through these various cable and satellite based signal distribution system configurations is finding that a network acronym may be related to a real channel numbers assigned to an “over the air” TV-station by the FCC, or a virtual channel number which may be uniquely assigned by a cable system or satellite service provider in any particular region. As a result of these inconsistencies in channel numbering, a residential customer may be seeking a network program (such as originated by a FOX Network affiliate television station) and resorts to a guide listing to find that the FOX Network program is broadcast over-the-air on channel 25 in his area (for example, Boston, Mass. area). However, the viewer soon realizes that merely tuning his set-top box to channel 25 on the mentioned AT&T-Broadband™ cable system may deliver a completely unexpected network, such as “Nickelodeon™” programming, and not the desired FOX network program. This occurs because cable systems, such as AT&T-Broadband™, and most others, routinely shift many over-the-air channel numbers to another virtual channel numbers. In this example of the FOX Network broadcast on channel 25 the provider has shifted it to the provider's virtual channel 13 at the viewer's TV-set location. As a result, an absolute channel command of 13 must be submitted to the TV-set's tuner.
It is soon realized that the only constant is the FOX network acronym. The acronym's meaning remains the same throughout the nation. A particularly high-profile example of this kind of channel assignment confusion surrounded an Aug. 26, 2001 “Madonna Concert” which was widely promoted as being viewable on Time-Warner Entertainment's Home Box Office (HBO) network. HBO is not an over-the-air program provider. It is exclusively delivered by satellite connection to each regional HBO cable service provider, such as AT&T-Broadband™ or Adelphia™ for localized distribution. As a result, each individual region or area of the nation experiences a diverse number of different channel number associated with the HBO channel scheduled for carrying the concert. An expensive promotion was done nationwide in the context of viewing it on HBO, since the promoters realize that the HBO acronym is of universal meaning while channel numbers are locally specific. This is most specifically illustrated by a publication “HBO GUIDE”, which for October 2001 promoted Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg's miniseries “Band of Brothers” using only the acronym HBO. Acronymical promotion is presently found on the network's promotional internet website http://www.hbo.com on a regular basis.
Tuning to the proper channel known to carry HBO programming in any specific area has traditionally been left up to the ingenuity of the viewer. The viewer had to find which channel locally carried the HBO program content, as for example Channel 60 in a particular AT&T-Broadband™ service area and Channel 28 in an nearby Adelphia™ service area. Usually this required resorting to a local channel conversion chart, or else a listing in a local newspaper or other source.
Acronym Entry Reduces Confusion
This invention offers to alleviate confusion by rendering a virtual or a real channel number selection solely based upon direct acronym entry into the remote controller's keypad. The entered acronym is processed and delivers a corresponding channel number command to the remotely controlled televisor.
When an over-the-air channel number or a local cable channel number is known, it makes common sense to use it as the channel selection entry. On the other hand, when only the network's name or acronym is known (such as “HBO”, or “NBC”), the acronym alone may be used to automatically establish channel selection.
Quick Convenience in Changing Programs
Prior to this invention, a viewer traditionally must “look up” the exampled HBO or NBC listing in a local television channel guide and correlate the acronymical listing with whatever channel it is delivered on in the viewer's regional area. This is a major time-consuming nuisance and a drawback with network “logo” promotions. Sometimes the delay in looking up the corresponding channel number causes the viewer to miss an all-important opening sequence or happening typical of a dramatic program or sports event.
Submit Acronym Through a Shared Keypad
Taking a program content provider's or a network's popular logo or acronym, such as HBO, NBC, CNN, etc. and urging the acronym into an alpha-numerical keypad arrangement is a fundamental offering of my novel remote controller invention. The keypad entries are automatically converted into locally recognizable channel numbers which are sent to a remotely controlled TV-set or cable box as a wireless command to urge changes to appropriate channel number selections corresponding with the acronymical entries.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the acronym is entered letter-by-letter into matching decimal keybuttons which are dually assigned alphabetical character values. An example of such assignment is obtained in a keypad layout similar to a common Touchtone™ telephone keypad, where eight of the ten decimal keybuttons have alphabetical parallels. The usual arrangement includes:
2,A,B,C;3,D,E,F;4,G,H,I;5,J,K,L;6,M,N,O;7,P,R,S;8,T,U,V;9,W,X,Y;noting that in borrowing assignments from the usual telephone application, the letters Q and Z are missing.
Recognizing this lacking leads to the co-assignment of the 0 or the 1 keybutton to include the Q and Z characters. As a result, the entry of station call letters such as WBZ or network acronyms such as STARZ and QVC become practical. For example, if 0 is co-assigned where it becomes (0,Q,Z) then entry of the acronym results in an equivalent copula value of (STARZ=78270) and (QVC=082).
Following this lead, when the viewer enters HBO for example, the intermediate decimal entry 426 is delivered by the keypad to the controllers processor circuitry. The intermediate value 426 may serve as an address for a lookup table in a memory, where the addressed location may have been preset to the local channel number, such as channel 60 for example. Therefore an absolute channel 60 command is sent to the remotely controlled television receiver.
Flexible Set-Up
A large number of various combinations of acronym and channel number combinations are known to be in use throughout the United States (and elsewhere). Therefore a “one size fits all” approach is impractical, insofar as converting acronym entries into channel number digits is concerned. This teaching shows that any one, or else a combination, of several “presetting” approaches may serve the end-user's need for flexibility and economical usability.
Captive System's Remote Controllers
Cable system operators frequently provide set-top boxes (“cable converters”) to their subscribers and these offerings usually include a remote controller. Sometimes a remote controller is made available as an accessory from the cable company for a nominal rental fee. A cable system provider such as AT&T-Broadband™ maintains records of it's network related channel number assignments in any particular service area. It is therefore reasonable for the remote controller provided by the cable system operator to be suitably preprogrammed to provide the necessitous conversion between entry of a three letter acronym such as “CNN” and automatically associating the entry with a channel 42 assignment, for example.
In this practicable form of my invention, the remote controller is particularly encoded to determine and send a preset channel number as a command to the remotely controlled cable box. The commanded channel number corresponds with the user's acronymic entry.
A remote controller used in this environment may readily be pre-programmed by the supplier since the service area assignments of channel numbers as related to network acronyms is defined by the supplier. The conversion data is manageable as non-volatile data stored in a ROM (PROM), or alterable data stored in a “Flash Memory”, EEPROM or other normally non-volatile albeit reprogrammable memory provision.
Cable system operators do, on occasion, make changes in a few of their cable number and network associations. Cable system operators also add, delete and otherwise modify the organizational placement of program content providers. Therefore, I expect that an occasional “upgrade” or reprogramming of the memory data is desirable. This upgrade may be managed by modular exchange of the ROM, downloading into a PROM by connection with a computer signal bus, similarly downloaded through a modem from an internet (or provider's) site, or else accomplished by a manual reprogramming which may be occasionally carried out by the user.
Universal “After-Mareket” Remote Controllers
A universal remote controller is, by design intent, provided to be setup by the user to work with any combination of a large variety of different remotely controlled equipments. This reflects that the remote controller can be re-coded by a user to work with nearly any combination of equipment the user might choose to assemble.
Managing acronymical entries may be a manual re-programming of one or more alphabetical acronyms into virtual channel numbers. In other words, the conversional entries may be limited to a few of the most frequently used acronyms, or to as many as might be available. Resetting the acronymical conversion data in the memory may also be obtained by a unique sequence of keypad entries, download from a computer disk or transfer from an internet site.
Original Equipment Remote Controllers
An original equipment (OEM) remote controller typically provided by the maker of a TV-set, cable box or VCR-machine is usually dedicated primarily to the operation of the supplier's equipment brand-line. Some contemporaneous OEM remote controllers do include a universality feature, permitting their reprogramming of at least the secondary functions to work with at least a limited variety of accessory devices. This invention anticipates that when the maker intends, the remote controller may be reprogrammable in a manner similar to that discussed relative with the universal remote controllers.